Beethoven's Mysterious Death: DNA Analysis of the Iconic Musician's Hair Reveals Hints About His Passing

While the iconic musician Ludwig van Beethoven was previously thought to have died due to lead poisoning, the first-ever DNA analysis of his hair hints that he died due to something else.

Behind Beethoven's Death

Live Science notes that, based on the DNA analysis of Beethoven's remains, the iconic musician had hepatitis B when he died.

The DNA analysis was conducted on five locks of hair that were taken as mementos during his last seven years. Findings also revealed that he was at high risk of developing liver disease. Such genetic vulnerability, coupled with the hepatitis B condition, which could have affected his liver, could have played a role in the musician's passing.

France24 reports that cirrhosis, or liver failure, was a probable cause of his death, which was also accounted for by several factors, including alcohol consumption. Further DNA analysis also demonstrated that the composer's high liver disease risk may have been caused by a genetic condition known as hereditary hemochromatosis.

Markus Nothen, one of the study's co-authors from the University Hospital of Bonn's Institute of Human Genetics, says that they looked into the potential genetic causes of the three primary symptom complexes of the musician. These were his gradual hearing loss, gastrointestinal conditions, and liver disease, which may have ultimately led to his death.

Their findings were published in the Current Biology journal. Such findings do not align with the widely accepted assumption that Beethoven died of lead poisoning. The discovery also does not offer any hints regarding how the classical musician lost his hearing.

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Beethoven's Hearing Impairments and Gastrointestinal Issues

Beethoven started losing his hearing ability in his mid-to-late 20s. When he reached his 40s, the iconic musician became completely deaf. Beethoven also experienced serious gastrointestinal issues in the course of his life. He reportedly went through at least two jaundice attacks, which are symptoms of an underlying liver condition.

By 1802, his ailments had become more severe. He had to ask Johann Adam Schmidt, his physician friend, to look into and publicize the peculiar condition he was battling. However, Schmidt passed away 18 years before Beethoven died.

After the iconic musician's death in 1827, a post-mortem showed that Beethoven had serious liver scarring or cirrhosis. Now, this new study reveals the viral and genetic grounds for the iconic musician's illnesses.

Hepatitis B and Genetic Risk for Liver Disease

Johannes Krause, one of the study's co-authors and a genetics professor at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, mentioned that they were not able to definitively conclude Beethoven's cause of death. However, they were able to confirm that he dealt with hepatitis B and that he had a significant genetic risk. By doing so, the researchers can also eliminate other possible genetic causes.

Tristan Begg, the study's lead author and a geneticist and doctoral candidate in biological anthropology from the University of Cambridge, says that in light of medical history, Beethoven's case may have been a mix of the three factors, including the musician's alcohol consumption. However, further research needs to look into each factor's exact levels of involvement.

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